New England January 2017

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, Camp and New England!

 We're having a lovely couple of days - today and tomorrow. Today I was able to get the remaining perennials clipped back as well as spread a dozen bags of pine needles between the SFG boxes. That's a load off.

Still need to clean up the SFGs and compost them. And I haven't made a single seaweed run to the beach yet. Normally I've made 3 trips by now.. I think my hip is bothering me a little too much to be lugging buckets of seaweed up and down the beach,  then from the back of the car, on up the hill to the compost  pile in the backyard. I may be getting a replacement this spring.

Santa brought me a new to me camera so I'll be able to get back into taking photos this year.  I'll take it out with me tomorrow and see what I can get.

Should probably get some broccoli and radish sprouts started, too. No excuse for not doing that.  Hey, maybe some daikon, kale and collards sprouts are in order. I've certainly harvested enough seeds of each.  That'll be a fun experiment!  I'll let you know how it turns out...with photos of course.

CapeCoddess wrote:Happy New Year, Camp and New England!

 We're having a lovely couple of days - today and tomorrow. Today I was able to get the remaining perennials clipped back as well as spread a dozen bags of pine needles between the SFG boxes. That's a load off.

Still need to clean up the SFGs and compost them. And I haven't made a single seaweed run to the beach yet. Normally I've made 3 trips by now.. I think my hip is bothering me a little too much to be lugging buckets of seaweed up and down the beach,  then from the back of the car, on up the hill to the compost  pile in the backyard. I may be getting a replacement this spring.

Santa brought me a new to me camera so I'll be able to get back into taking photos this year.  I'll take it out with me tomorrow and see what I can get.

Should probably get some broccoli and radish sprouts started, too. No excuse for not doing that.  Hey, maybe some daikon, kale and collards sprouts are in order. I've certainly harvested enough seeds of each.  That'll be a fun experiment!  I'll let you know how it turns out...with photos of course.

Perfect, CC!  Sounds like a plan!

Happy New Year, everyone!!!

I've been busy with year-end inventory for DH's business but find myself planning for Spring in my head--been doing some reading and thinking about varieties I haven't tried yet.  Fenugreek, for instance.  Has anyone ever tried growing it?

(P.S. CC: Maybe it's past that point if you're considering hip replacement, but have you tried acupuncture?  It's done wonders for my sciatica and ulnar nerve issues.)

I tried fenugreek last year - but I was trying so many new things that some didn't get the attention they needed.
In late April I soaked the seeds overnight, placed them a 1/4" deep in toilet-paper tubes (Caboo brand - they are  sturdy -- for being TP tubes) indoors, under growlights. I had no problems with germination. I chose TP tubes because I thought these would have long roots that didn't want to be disturbed. But I don't know whether they or their neighboring nasturtiums sent roots all over onto/into neighboring tubes. This year I'll either switch to regular pots or try direct winter-sowing with a cloche. Spacing-wise I read that they should be 4-6" apart - so 4 to 9 per square.  ...and that's about where my experience stops. I transplanted them really late, into a non-ANSFG section of my garden and they never really took off.

@mollyhespra wrote:

(P.S. CC: Maybe it's past that point if you're considering hip replacement, but have you tried acupuncture? It's done wonders for my sciatica and ulnar nerve issues.)


Nope. Is it for pain? I've been messing with this hip for about 8 yrs now and have been able to alleviate any pain using an alkaline diet and Egoscue p.t. But lately sometimes my hip just gives out when going up stairs or hills (which, since I live on a hill with garage down under, is inconvenient). Then there IS pain! At which point I start into Egoscue asap and the pain disappears. So far I haven't fallen when it gives out but ....
So I think it may be time for a replacement. We'll see what the dr says end of Jan.

OK, so lots of kale and some very sad and immature brussel sprouts left in the SFG:

Sorry to hear about your hip CC. Hope you find relief.

Nice pics of your winter garden. 

Happy New Year

Hope you get better CC

Nice pics

And so it begins:

So we ended up with 5" today, and we just got word of an additional 18" to 24" tomorrow.  Glad tomorrow is Saturday!

Looks like I'm going to have a little competition for the heating pad come seed starting week:

You do realize you are going to have to get her her own heating pad, don't you? 

At least you don't have two cats...

camprn wrote:http://awaytogarden.com/when-to-start-seeds-calculator/

That is great Camp. Thanks.

On another website it stated that the last frost date is an average and there is a 50% chance that there will be no frost after that date and a 25% chance of frost within y days following that date. That is for my area in Canada. I'm not sure if the same rule applies for last frost dates in the USA.

trolleydriver wrote:

camprn wrote:http://awaytogarden.com/when-to-start-seeds-calculator/

That is great Camp. Thanks.

On another website it stated that the last frost date is an average and there is a 50% chance that there will be no frost after that date and a 25% chance of frost within y days following that date. That is for my area in Canada. I'm not sure if the same rule applies for last frost dates in the USA.

Yes, the same or very similar.

trolleydriver wrote:

camprn wrote:http://awaytogarden.com/when-to-start-seeds-calculator/

That is great Camp. Thanks.

On another website it stated that the last frost date is an average and there is a 50% chance that there will be no frost after that date and a 25% chance of frost within y days following that date. That is for my area in Canada. I'm not sure if the same rule applies for last frost dates in the USA.

Yes, it was a super weird spring last year here in the Midwest.  We had a mild prelude, then devastating freezes for weeks.... It was totally unpredictable .  And lost stuff.  But had my little coke bottle cloches....cookie cutter as they were.!

Scorpio........Try using gallon and half-gallon used plastic milk bottles for cloches.  You can easily cut off the bottoms.  Once fitted over a plant, remove the cap on warm days for let the air circulate but on the cold evenings, screw on the cap to keep the plant safe. 
To prevent them from blowing away, I stuck a thin branch or a piece of bamboo stake down the spout at an angle to hold the bottle in place. 
I've saved many a plant with these cloches.

I'm really missing going thru catalogs to choose new seeds and starting varieties under the lights but I'm eagerly awaiting the time to buy started plants and grow them in containers on our patio behind our apt building beside the river.
Seeing pictures of your gardens will certainly put a smile on my face.
Good luck to all in the coming season.

50 degrees both days this weekend!

I was able to clean out and compost 3 boxes for spring today - trellised L-shaped is for peas, part shade box above it on left is for lettuce, full sun box on right is for greens:

I pulled a few small daikon and some immature brussel spts, but left in the scallions, chives and some kale just to see if the kale will come back.

Nice layer of pine needles in the isles. Do they help keep grass/weeds from growing in the isles?

sanderson wrote:Nice layer of pine needles in the isles.  Do they help keep grass/weeds from growing in the isles?

I don't know yet as this is the first year I'll have done this. But the lawn in that area is under pine trees and doesn't grow very well. I'm thinking this may be due to the constant dropping of pine needles. If I can tell early, I'll let you know once spring has sprung.

quiltbea wrote:Scorpio........Try using gallon and half-gallon used plastic milk bottles for cloches.  You can easily cut off the bottoms.  Once fitted over a plant, remove the cap on warm days for let the air circulate but on the cold evenings, screw on the cap to keep the plant safe. 
To prevent them from blowing away, I stuck a thin branch or a piece of bamboo stake down the spout at an angle to hold the bottle in place. 
I've saved many a plant with these cloches.

I'm really missing going thru catalogs to choose new seeds and starting varieties under the lights but I'm eagerly awaiting the time to buy started plants and grow them in containers on our patio behind our apt building beside the river.
Seeing pictures of your gardens will certainly put a smile on my face.
Good luck to all in the coming season.

Thanks!  Hopefully, I won't need them!   Good to hear from you QB!

Hi, QB!